This year, Ag Day is celebrated on March 21, 2023, and in the middle of National Ag Week. Ag Day and Ag Week celebrate the contribution of agriculture and dairy farming in our everyday lives. Ag Day encourages all Americans in rural, suburban, and urban communities to learn how food is produced, to recognize agriculture’s role in a strong economy, and to appreciate how agriculture provides safe, abundant, and affordable products.
Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use, and wear daily, but many people do not understand this contribution. And as the world population soars, there is an even greater demand for the food produced in the United States. One American farmer feeds far more people today than 50 years ago with less waste of resources. American agriculture is doing more today than in past generations, and it is doing it better than ever before.
Dairy Farming
And considering the nutrients real milk contains, dairy has a lower carbon footprint than many other foods. Dairy products have essential vitamins and minerals, including carbohydrates, protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins A, D, B12, riboflavin and niacin. Just one 8-ounce serving of milk has 8 grams of protein. The environmental footprint of such an important food continues to improve. Through improved genetics, reproduction practices, health practices, and diet, cows are more efficient today than in 1950.
This year, celebrate Ag Day and Ag Week by learning more about the foods you eat. Share what you have learned and spread the positive message about agriculture. Here are some great videos and short reads to learn about dairy farming and its part in America’s agriculture industry.
- Big Ag: The Truth Behind the Modern American Farming Industry’s Owners
- Big Tech in Dairy
- Dairy Farms Near You
- The Dairy Truth
- The Environmental Footprint of Dairy in the United States
- More to the Moo: The Life of a Modern Dairy Farmer
Happy Ag Day!